LAHORE: The Traffic Engineering & Transport Planning Agency (Tepa) is all set to hand over the three heritage sites -- Nila Gumbad, Deori corridor and the Indo-Pak’s first bank building -- to the Lahore Authority for Heritage Revival (LAHR) soon for carrying out conservation work in collaboration with the Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA).

As per details, the ongoing demolition of shops hiding the visibility of these sites have entered the final round and the construction of a parking plaza, which will house shops for the affected shopkeepers of the cycle market is also underway, according to a senior official of the Lahore Development Authority (LDA) -- the parent organisation of Tepa.

“After paying compensation of over Rs610 million to the affected shopkeepers and some residents on Saturday, Tepa on Sunday launched the demolition work. This work will be completed soon, enabling us to proceed further,” LDA Director General Tahir Farooq said while talking to Dawn on Thursday.

According to him, the construction of the parking plaza was launched last month and at present the piling work was underway. The total cost of the parking plaza project was Rs2.451 billion. It will have a ground floor with three basements equipped with drainage, electrical, plumbing, fire fighting equipment, ventilation, parking management & CCTV, lift and roads infrastructure.

“The construction of the plaza will take sometime. However, the demolition works will be completed soon,” the DG said.

Agency in final stages of demolishing shops hiding visibility of sites and construction of a parking plaza

Tepa Chief Engineer Iqrar Hussain told Dawn that after the demolition, the sites would be handed over to LAHR for conservation works.

“We are limited to just constructing the parking plaza and removing all encroachments, including some shops and houses hindering visibility of the Gumbad. The Nila Gumbad, the shrine of Sheikh Abdul Razak Makki who was the disciple of Baba Mauj Darya, was constructed around 350 years ago by the then Mughal emperor according to design of the Mausoleum of Ameer Taimur in Samarkand, Uzbekistan. Another similar Nila Gumbad also exists in Humayon’s tomb complex in Delhi,” he explained.

Mr Hussain said that with the lapse of time, people started encroaching on the area around the Nila Gumbad by constructing shops, turning the area into a market - majority selling and repairing cycles. Resultantly, the shopkeepers became tenants of the Auqaf department. But this mess completely hindered the visibility of the shrine and its various parts, especially the dome, he explained.

“As the demolition work is underway at the moment, the Gumbad is now visible and soon it will be handed over to the authorities concerned for restoration etc,” he added.

He said that besides this, a sitting place, coffee shops and eateries would also be set up on the ground floor of the parking plaza. The Tepa chief said the plaza would consist of four floors, including three basements.

He said the plaza would provide parking to nearly 400 cars and 800 motorcycles, besides 62 shops to be made available for the affected shopkeepers in the first basement.

“After completion of the project titled “Uplifting of Nila Gumbad Area along with provision of underground parking facility”, all heritage sites would be visible. Moreover the parking, traffic congestion related issues would be no more,” he maintained.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2025